Amid an aging population in Ontario, the demand for personal support workers (PSW) is growing.
According to the provincial government’s Ontario Population Projections Update, the number of seniors
aged 65 and over is projected to almost double in the next 20 years. By 2041, almost 25 per cent of
Ontario’s population will be elderly. To accommodate the demand, the number of PSW vacancies across
the province is set to increase. And, at Evergreen College we’re already seeing an increase in requests
for skilled PSW graduates.
Recently, students preparing for graduation in Evergreen’s PSW Certificate Program were contacted
about employment opportunities with two health-care agencies in Toronto, as well as with one private
client. At the College, our goal is to prepare students for the real world of work. And, when employers
knock on our door looking for the latest crop of graduates, we know we’ve succeeded.
When an employer hires an Evergreen PSW graduate, Margaret McLeish, Evergreen’s PSW Program
Manager, says, “They can expect to be met with an individual who has all of the possible training a PSW
can have, along with some extra certifications.”
The College’s PSW Certificate Program gets students job-ready in just 31 weeks. We prepare students
for a rewarding career in the booming healthcare industry by giving them a well-rounded education in
an all-encompassing, skill-building environment.
During the course of our program, we educate students on providing care, support and assistance to
clients who are aging, chronically ill and/or have physical disabilities. As future PSWs, our students are
prepared to assist clients and their families with many tasks including meal preparation, hygiene,
bathing, dressing and attending to household duties that clients can no longer manage on their own.
Successful graduates of our program will receive their First Aid & CPR certifications, Public Health Food
Handler Certificate and Alzheimer’s Society Training certificate. Students are also prepared with training
under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, as well as additional education on Palliative
Care and Dementia.
“We have excellent teachers with a long industry of retention, little staff turnover and small class sizes,”
McLeish says. “We make sure that everything is covered. We want students to have everything we can
give them.”
Of the three prospective PSW employers that contacted Evergreen, one visited the College and spoke
with graduating students directly. A representative from the health-care organization was present to
give out information, collect resumes and answer any questions students had about employment. The
response from students was positive, with many enthusiastic about their upcoming graduation.
All of our students have a desire to excel in the exciting, stimulating environment that Evergreen offers.
In addition to our PSW Certificate program, we offer a range of diploma and certification programs
designed to prepare students for today's job market. When employers contact us to hire an Evergreen
graduate, we know that they recognize our career-readiness training, and the skills we instill in our
students that prepare them for the workforce of tomorrow, today.
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